Real Sociedad are enjoying a sensational second half of the season, lifting their fourth ever Copa del Rey last weekend, and reinvigorating what looked like a side in decline. At the heart of that success has been Jon Martin, a promising young central defender.
Once Pau Cubarsi’s partner in the Spain youth teams, the 20-year-old defender has been highly rated for some time, and has been in the Real Sociedad first team for the past two seasons. Martin has come into his own this year though, and is excelling under Pellegrino Matarazzo. Quick in the tackle, willing to put his body on the line, and excellent in the air, Martin has been one of the better players in the second half of the season.
🚨 JUST IN: Raphinha will return to training at the start of next week. [@Benayadachraf] 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/z8l3WnFUUA
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 24, 2026
Real Madrid and Barcelona interest in Jon Martin
Last month it was reported for the first time that Real Madrid were paying close attention to his progress, and had sent scouts to watch him. Meanwhile this week, it was revealed that Barcelona Director of Football Deco had met with his agent Inaki Ibanez to speak about his availability. The Blaugrana are prioritising a move for Alessandro Bastoni this summer, but Martin would be a slightly cheaper alternative.
Real Sociedad to play hardball
Not that much cheaper though. As reported by Sport, La Real have no intention of letting him out of the door easily. Martin recently signed a contract renewal until 2031 in October, that raised his release clause to €50m. If Martin is to leave, anybody interested will have to stump up the entirety of that clause.
That still represents value for most clubs, but it does complicate matters for the two La Liga giants. Generally high transfer fees are paid in intalments, but a release clause must be paid in full in one sum, which can impact the viability of a deal with regard to salary limit calculations.
